Back Sleeping and Snoring

I'm finding myself in a real pickle. The Trilogy does great as long as I am on my side. I start out sleeping on my RIGHT side, but pain in my right thigh becomes EXCRUCIATING after a couple hours and I need to turn to my left side. Unfortunately, pulled/strained muscles in my LEFT lower back are preventing me from sleeping on my left side. The only choice is to lay on my back for a while until I get back onto my RIGHT side.

My husband complained a while back that I was snoring. I thought it was just mask leaking, but the last few nights, I have woken myself up snoring. No doubt the snoring is worsening.

I am miserable because I'm not sleeping more than an hour before pain gets me, then being on my back, I snore and wake myself up.

Any ideas/suggestions for dealing with this (remember I have a Muscular Dystrophy so it's very hard to reposition myself in bed) OR changes to the Trilogy that might combat this?

I tried using AVAPS-AE a few months back (hoping it would solve the back sleeping problem) but the pulses it sent out were disturbing me as much as anything else.

Hi, so sorry to hear that you're still having trouble! Have you considered raising the head of the bed on 4-5" blocks? If it usually helps with GERD and apneas, I wonder if it could help with snoring? What about trying saline rinses before bed to clear things a bit, though it probably is a slack uvula problem? I hope you can find a better way to sleep though, because you have enough to handle without having to deal with that now!

Julie wrote:Hi, so sorry to hear that you're still having trouble! Have you considered raising the head of the bed on 4-5" blocks? If it usually helps with GERD and apneas, I wonder if it could help with snoring? What about trying saline rinses before bed to clear things a bit, though it probably is a slack uvula problem? I hope you can find a better way to sleep though, because you have enough to handle without having to deal with that now!

Thanks Julie. I'm kind of used to it. My life is very much about disease progression and adapting. This is no different.

My husband and I share a King-sized bed so raising the head of it isn't ideal. I tried a wedge at one point (still have it) and it's okay when back sleeping, but I simply CANNOT sleep that way on my side, which is how I always start out and ultimately end up again. I stay on my side until I can't stand the pain, then switch to my back for a while.

We may have to consider an adjustable bed with dual controls, but that it NOT in the budget right now.

Can't remember if you're using memory foam or not... it's more likely to let you stay longer on even your bad side(s)...

There has been quite a discussion recently about using a TENS unit to control pain. Have you tried that or had it recommended in the past?

JDS74 wrote:There has been quite a discussion recently about using a TENS unit to control pain. Have you tried that or had it recommended in the past?

I have one, but I can't put the pads on myself, plus I'm not sure about the proper placement of the pads.

Now, just to make things worse, my right ARM is starting to hurt from laying on it so long each night. Ugh.

Julie wrote:Can't remember if you're using memory foam or not... it's more likely to let you stay longer on even your bad side(s)...

We have a regular mattress. It was guaranteed not to sag or have any problems for 20 years (it HAS sagged) but both the manufacturer and the company that sold it to us have gone out of business.

I'm thinking about looking into the Sleep Number beds. I slept on one during my first sleep study (a working model anyway) and LOVED it. I've seen where they make King size that are adjustable. But again, money is an issue, plus my husband isn't a fan as much as I am.

You can get a decent memory foam matt. for what I think would be a lot less than e.g. a Sleep # bed, and it's specifically designed to alleviate your kind of problems. I think it might be at least worthwhile to check them out if at all possible. Been using one for years now and it's very diff. from a regular mattress. The only thing to keep in mind re quality (and I'm not referring to lux as in Tempur-Pedic!) is that they're rated by a sort of psi method, i.e. a good one that will last for a while and give you good relief is anything above 5 lbs/sq", whereas cheap ones will be 3 or 4 lbs. and toppers not even that, so it's important to ask when looking.

Julie wrote:You can get a decent memory foam matt. for what I think would be a lot less than e.g. a Sleep # bed, and it's specifically designed to alleviate your kind of problems. I think it might be at least worthwhile to check them out if at all possible. Been using one for years now and it's very diff. from a regular mattress. The only thing to keep in mind re quality (and I'm not referring to lux as in Tempur-Pedic!) is that they're rated by a sort of psi method, i.e. a good one that will last for a while and give you good relief is anything above 5 lbs/sq", whereas cheap ones will be 3 or 4 lbs. and toppers not even that, so it's important to ask when looking.

Good info to have. Thanks. We may revisit memory foam, but when we were looking 8-10 years ago, my husband was NOT a fan. He didn't like the Sleep Number either, which is why we ended up with a traditional mattress.

I think we need to do something, but it's going to take some time to get him on board. The expense, plus he HATES change, makes it a little difficult.

Take a look at this info -

http://www.usafoam.com/mattress/memorym ... ml#Memory5

and particularly the table at the bottom of the pg... will give you a good idea of things!

and PS, your husband does not have your problems and may need a little reminder that things have changed in 10 yrs.

Julie wrote:Take a look at this info -

http://www.usafoam.com/mattress/memorym ... ml#Memory5

and particularly the table at the bottom of the pg... will give you a good idea of things!

and PS, your husband does not have your problems and may need a little reminder that things have changed in 10 yrs.

Thank you for this. I will definitely keep it in mind. And you're right -- he needs a little reminding, but I need to be gentle because he really is VERY good to me.

I have to sleep on my back because of Rheumatoid arthritis pain so I hear you! I did my sleep study on my back and I am very fortunate that the pressure settings I have keep everything, including snoring, under good control.

Like you, I have a chronic condition that progresses (after 23 years) no matter how many drugs I take. I am constantly prescribed a different one to help but there is still some progression. If I had been diagnosed later and put on these more powerful, but more effective drugs that are now available, I probably would not have the joint damage I have but damage done cannot be undone and sleeping in my back is the only pain free position for me.

I don't know if this is available in the US or not but I bought a twin size item called a "Mattress Genie" that allows you to raise the head of the bed some or a lot. I got it when I developed BPPV (vertigo) a few months ago. My husband and I went to twin beds years ago but I expect that the twin would fit on your side of the king sized bed. The only problem with it is that you need to get it the way you want it for the night because when you use the remote to inflate it, it sounds like a vacuum cleaner! My husband wears hearing aids and is deaf as a post without them so he doesn't hear it at night. I don't use it a lot but it deflates flat when I am not using it. I think it might work under your pillow so that the whole mattress would not be raised some. You would have to check that out. It might "tilt" the other side of the mattress if it won't work under your pillow! It was about $100 Canadian so would probably be less in the US.

I don't know how long it will last. I have only had it for a few months.

Thought it might be worth looking into.

Hawthorne wrote:I have to sleep on my back because of Rheumatoid arthritis pain so I hear you! I did my sleep study on my back and I am very fortunate that the pressure settings I have keep everything, including snoring, under good control.

Like you, I have a chronic condition that progresses (after 23 years) no matter how many drugs I take.

I'm sorry that you are suffering. Until a few weeks ago, I COULD sleep on my back and the settings took care of everything. Something has changed and now not only is the snoring bothering my hubby, but I'm waking myself up with it.

Thanks for the info on the bed. I think my husband would like to continue sharing a King sized bed so figuring out a solution isn't going to be easy. If I could either get the Trilogy set to fix everything supine OR get my back fixed so I could switch from side to side, everything would be okay.